The present invention is direoted to an improved apparatus and method for planting seeds, fertilizing and applying chemicals using biodegradable applicator tape.
Apart from the development of bigger and faster planter units, the process of planting agricultural seeds has changed very little over the years. Seeds are generally dispensed into the ground in uniformly spaced apart relation by a planter unit which may also be equipped with injectors or the like for dispensing fertilizer, pesticides or herbicides into the ground adjacent the seeds.
There are many problems associated with conventional planting techniques, many of which are particularly disadvantageous in view of environmental concerns. There is always the concern of planting at a preferably uniform and optimum rate to control the population of plants for most efficient crop production. Certain crops, such as lettuce, are planted by a slobber system wherein the crop is planted approximately ten times too thick and requires thinning to provide room for full growth of the crop. Rates of dispensing even conventional row crops, such as corn, soybeans and milo are seldom as uniform as desired.
Problems associated with the application of fertilizers and chemicals, such as herbicides and pesticides, include leaching and the danger of exposure to operators. Typically, excessive chemicals are applied because a certain proportion leaches into the ground and waterways where it raises pollution concerns. Herbicides are applied to prevent weeds from smothering and otherwise interfering with crop growth, but such herbicides are often objectionable because of their environmental concerns and the constraints they impose on crop rotation and the like. The alternative to the use of herbicides has been cultivation to uproot weeds between crop rows, but such cultivation requires expensive time and fuel and is ineffective for weeding between plants in a crop row.
The health risks to the applicator of agricultural chemicals have become increasingly unacceptable as medical research has revealed the present and future dangers of exposure to such chemicals by even a careful operator.
Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus and method for planting seeds, fertilizing and applying chemicals using biodegradable applicator tape.
Another object is to provide an apparatus and method of planting which assures a uniform planting rate to accurately control population of the planted crop.
Another object is to provide an improved apparatus and method for planting seeds wherein a biodegradable tape or strip covers the ground adjacent planted seeds to inhibit weed growth.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus and method for planting seeds wherein the seeds are carried on an elongated biodegradable tape which may also carry fertilizer and/or pesticides in the precise amount needed and at the desired positions relative to the planted seeds for most efficient application.
Another object is to provide an improved apparatus and method of planting seeds wherein water, fertilizer and any applied chemicals are retained adjacent the planted crops for most efficient plant growth.
Another object is to provide an improved apparatus and method for planting seeds which minimizes or eliminates the health risks of exposure to dangerous agricultural chemicals.
Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved apparatus and method for planting seeds which is simple in construction, economical to implement and efficient in operation.